As we walked the lakeside path, she said, “Maybe I’ll get off of Facebook after all this is over.”
This comment followed my own on the political climate online.
“Don’t get off Facebook.” And I shared some ideas of how to shine a light as a Christian. We can provide better ways for discussion, like not name-calling, making issues black and white without considering someone’s background or story, and doing our own research online, looking at both sides and verifying facts from opinions. Nonetheless, the negativity is a problem online. Here are three ways to cope with it all:
- Take breaks from it. Balance your online time and your face-to-face time. Take walks. Get coffee with friends.
- What is your friends’ or followers’ stumbling blocks? Posting something that may end up cutting off communication is not productive. How important is that topic? Can it be re-worded? At WorldVenture, we encourage online discipleship. Will that topic impede this goal? Coping with the negativity means not taking part in it. With a nation divided, we must think like missionaries online.
- Don’t neglect prayer and your morning Bible readings. No online discipleship effort can be done without serious prayer. Keep up on understanding who God is by reading His Bible. His Word in our hearts will keep us strong through any Facebook or social media storm.